Desktop virtualization key for SMBs, IT

For small- and medium-sized businesses, there is a lot of emphasis being placed on replacing PCs and PC maintenance, and that burden is landing at the feet of the IT department.

However, for SMBs utilizing desktop virtualization, this burden can be lightened, a recent SmallBusinessComputing.com report stated. Jim McHugh, senior vice president for a desktop virtualization specialist, said "the proliferation of PCs has become a financial and management constraint for SMBs.”

SMBs using a desktop virtualization service can deploy solutions to help them focus on business advancement and not technology issues, said McHugh. Since SMBs tend to replace PCs after three to five years, it has become a significant issue, but desktop virtualization reduces costs and power consumptions and supports more users than traditional methods.

“When it comes time to upgrade software or hardware, the change only needs to be made to the host server, making replacement quick and eliminating the need to support mixed small business computing environments,” wrote SmallBusinessComputing’s Thor Olavsrud.

While SMBs can reduce costs by utilizing desktop virtualization, the technology can serve another area. According to a report by Quaram Soft, virtualization can help SMBs improve disaster recovery plans as well.